Relief workers and members of the Filipino community in Toronto are beginning efforts to help the nation rebuild after one of the worst typhoons in history killed hundreds and displaced thousands.

The deadly typhoon Haiyan made landfall Nov. 8 and wiped out whole cities. The city of Tacloban, home to more than 200,000 people, was hit the hardest. The Red Cross in the Philippines estimates the death toll could be as high as 1,000 people.

“It looks quite severe,” said Matt Capobianco, a 33-year-old Toronto-based relief worker with Global Medic who worked in the Philippines after two previous typhoons and is preparing to go there again. “There’s limited communication coming out from the ground but from what we’re getting areas are just completely flattened.”

Capobianco and three other Canadian workers will fly to the country Sunday with water purification equipment in an effort to supply survivors with clean drinking water. This will be Capobianco’s 36th relief mission to a disaster zone.

“One of the challenges will be access into specific areas. With a typhoon of this magnitude you’re looking at roadways, bridges all being affected,” he said. “We’ll be sourcing out all kinds of transportation…We always find a way to get to the hardest hit areas.”

Gjeff Lamigo, World Vision’s communication manager based in the Philippines, said authorities have recovered 138 bodies, but expects that number to climb as access and communications to hard-hit areas improves.

“The figures will really surge,” Lamigo told the Star from Manila. “As we speak, there are bodies emerging and floating by the bay at the coast. In Tacloban city alone there are a lot of areas where there’s a long stretch of shanty houses made of really light materials, the residents in those areas are still unaccounted for.”

Lamigo praised the government for its evacuation efforts, but said the storm was unexpectedly powerful. Some evacuation centres were affected.

“The people probably didn’t really expect how large this typhoon would be. They would consider this the strongest in their lifetime,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking to see that.”

Norma Carpio, president of the Toronto-based Philippine Independence Day Council, says many houses in her hometown of Lemery have been wiped out.

Her nephew, who works in a local farm in Lemery is missing, and her family has been unable to contact him.

Carpio’s family house in Lemery managed to survive the storm. Many people have gathered there in the wake of the typhoon.

Many other houses were wiped out, Carpio said, adding that they were not made of strong materials, but rather cement, and sometimes bamboo.

“It’s devastating and catastrophic,” she said. “We have been unable to get the exact number of fatalities and injuries. . . . It’s heartbreaking.”

Canadian relief organizations are mobilizing support in the wake of the damage, while keeping a close eye on Vietnam, where Haiyan is expected to make landfall Sunday morning.

“The storm seems to have weakened but not that much. It could be equally devastating,” said Hossam Elsharkawi, director of emergencies and recovery for the Canadian Red Cross.

Elsharkawi said that the Canadian Red Cross is sending a worker to be part of the initial team which will assess the damage on the ground and determine the relief needs.

“If the reports are confirmed, certainly it’s going to be a massive scale of rescue and relief operations on all fronts. In these types of scenarios we focus on the needs of the survivors which are medical assistance, clean water, food,” said Elsharkawi. “Given the numbers we are hearing now of affected populations, this could be massive and could last for many, many months.”

Filipino groups in Toronto are coordinating efforts to raise relief funds for victims of Haiyan. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, Toronto is home to the largest Filipino population in Canada, numbering about 250,000.

Amy Basingan, who works at Kababayan Multicultural Centre, a Filipino community centre, says they are planning to raise funds for typhoon victims.

“Especially this typhoon, after the earthquake, the typhoon happening in the same place. It’s sad,” she said.

Typhoon Haiyan is the second category five typhoon to hit the Philippines in two months; Typhoon Usagi hit the country in September.

The Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development department said that Canada will provide up to $5 million to support humanitarian efforts resulting from typhoon Haiyan, including shelters, food, water, and livelihood support, and more assistance if necessary.